Remembering Dad on his birthday

Dad was born on April 22, 1917, 102 years ago today, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

My family always had a modest and comfortable middle-class life that met all of our needs. After my Grandpapa, his father, died on July 12, 1979 (the day before I turned 27 years old), Dad and his brother, Alfred, inherited a tract of land in Alabama that had been in the family since the Civil War. They had to sell the land to pay Alabama inheritance taxes. My Dad invested his share of the remainder and enjoyed the benefit of a long bull market. Many years later, his financial advisor told me Dad should start gifting his children and grandchildren to avoid inheritance taxes at his death. I approached him about this and Dad's reply was "I don't want to do that." Why not, I asked? I want to make sure your mother is taken care of if I die first, he said and that was that.

Footnote: My Dad was 62 years old when Grandpapa died. I was 62 years old when my Dad died.